


For Tomorrow

by sirbartonslady



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: F/M, Post Game, pre-epilogues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 16:18:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7625395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirbartonslady/pseuds/sirbartonslady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While informing her husband that she is pregnant, Alisha has to come to terms with the reality of bearing a child in a world full of malevolence, hellions, war and chaos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Tomorrow

The sound of rain on the roof of the mansion was a comforting sound. Sergei Strelka had just taken off his boots and armor, had loosened his cravat and waistcoat (being an ambassador meant dressing much fancier now! And being the husband of a minor princess meant that as well.) and had kicked back in his favorite chair in his study with a tall glass of wine and a meal brought to him by the servants. (Spiced beef, roasted and slathered with a sweet sauce, topped with tangy goat cheese and served on sliced bread. A favorite in this kind of weather.) It was a wonderful way to unwind after a long ride home in bad weather. His hair was still damp from the rain outside, despite being inside for close to an hour now. The fire burning cheerfully in the fireplace next to his chair was probably going to dry him out soon enough.

“A fine husband you are,” a much beloved voice said from the doorway, “not even bothering to come greet your wife after being gone for four weeks!”

“Alisha, my dearest, you were asleep when I checked on you.” He grinned around his wine glass and set it aside, looking at the striking figure his wife cut in the doorway. “I know better than to wake you. I thought I'd come in here and relax a little, dry off by the fireplace, and then check on you again in a couple of hours.”

Alisha's strawberry blond hair was a mess from her nap, it seemed. The spirals were sticking up all over the place. Still, he found her irresistibly attractive even in this state. He had been away from her side for a month now, and while they were no longer considered newlyweds, he was still a bit starstruck and could barely control the deep-seated spike of lust he felt inside. He couldn't really help it; he loved looking at her. She was glorious to him. He had only really ever allowed himself to love one woman, and she was his cherished wife now; he still had trouble believing it was true. A common-born soldier like himself, and she was a noble princess. How they had come to be in love, to be married, was a love story worthy of any bard.

“You sure are lovely, my darling,” he murmured as he sat up and looked at her. “You take my breath away.”

She frowned; “I am not. I'm getting fat, I feel gross and I've not held a spear in months.”

Feeling saucier than normal because he was tired, craving her, and already the glass of wine was going straight to his head, Sergei resisted the urge to make a tawdry joke about her “holding a spear” and just smiled at her; “You're not getting fat, my love, and you are certainly not gross. You're a vision of loveliness to me. I've not seen you in four weeks, though you've visited my dreams every night that we were apart. Come, dearest wife, let me hold you in my arms!” He held his arms out to her.

She smirked and folded her arms stubbornly. “Put the wine down, darling, or I'm staying right here.”

When had he picked the wine glass back up? Sheepishly, he set it aside. “This wine is very good, you know. A little too good. Perhaps I shouldn't have it served to me anymore.” He pushed the glass as far from him as he could and stood up, beckoning her to come into his arms. She smiled at him and stepped forward, crossing the study and stepping into his embrace.

Some moments later, she pulled away from his lips, putting a hand against his mouth; “Sergei, my love, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

She fell silent, looking down at the floor beneath their feet. He pecked a kiss to her forehead and hugged her close. When the silence extended further, he became concerned and spoke up.

“Alisha, my love, what did you need to tell me? Come, you're not afraid of me, are you?”

“Of course not. I'm just...” She took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. “I have to grapple with this.”

He cupped a hand under her chin and tipped her face up to look at him; “Sweetest, you're worrying me. Please, just tell me. I'll do whatever I can to help you out, too. You know that, surely?”

“I'm pregnant.” The two words came out so bluntly and devoid of emotion that he blinked, unable to process them at first. Then her face crumpled and she burst into tears. “I'm not ready for this, Sergei. I don't want to bring a child into a broken world! I wanted to _fix everything_ before starting a family.”

He recognized this fluttering feeling in his belly. He remembered it from over a year ago, when he watched his gloriously beautiful bride being escorted down the aisle to join him before the altar, to exchange their nuptial vows. Like a fluttering kaleidoscope of butterflies in his stomach, he felt his nerves dancing in excitement at the prospect of being a father. He'd wanted this for so long, but had devoted himself to being a soldier because he'd never expected to have a wife and children.

Gently, he cupped her face in both hands, using his thumbs to brush away her tears; “Alisha, my love, my heart, please do not cry so. This is wonderful news! The world is not as broken as you fear it is.”

“Wars, Sergei. Hellions. Malevolence. Chaos. The Age of Chaos isn't really over, not yet. They say it is because Sorey ended it, but there's still so much chaos out there. So much pain and anger and rage and malevolence.”

“I know that, darling, but you are seeing only the terrible things. There is much beauty in the world now that the Age of Chaos is ending. Rolance and Hyland are at peace, working toward a full union. The natural disasters have subsided. Wars are dwindling down and resources are being generated. Poverty will go away as wealth is created by our peacemaking, my heart. We are winning this. Don't lose your confidence now.”

She sniffled; “I don't.... I don't want to bring a child into the world when there's still a risk of a Lord of Calamity. What if the Age of Chaos comes back? I don't want to give our child a world that's even worse than what we've been through! What if the Lord of Calamity comes back, and the Shepherd can't quell him? What if the world falls apart and descends into even worse chaos than we lived through? What if...?!”

“Alisha, stop worrying yourself. We still have Shepherd Rose, even if Shepherd Sorey is gone. And the Lord of Calamity will not come back; Shepherd Rose told us that he's gone for good, that the reason Sorey is gone is to guarantee that the Lord of Calamity never returns. As for the rest of the so-called Age of Chaos, I will have to be the diplomat and convince you that you are wrong, that it _is_ over and that peace is all around us. Come, my love, have some faith and don't despair. Allow your dear husband to help you.”

She whimpered, but gave him a brave smile; “I love you, Sergei. You always know just what to say to make me feel better. However, it's going to take a long time for you to convince me that we're not making a mistake and dooming our child to a broken world.”

“Then you should let me worry about that.” He kissed her long and slow, though his excitement was building up inside him. He wanted to scoop her into his arms and carry her into the bedroom to “celebrate” their news (though he suspected she wasn't in the mood, given how she had said she felt fat and gross). He wanted to dance outside the study and shout with joy that he was going to be a father. He wanted to start planning the most lavish nursery any child ever had. He was already dreaming of toy soldiers and tea parties, stuffed animals and rocking horses. He could hardly wait however many months it would take for the baby to be born, so he could meet it and hold it and shower it with the love he was feeling already.

She wound her arms around his torso and nestled her face into his chest (with their height difference, it was an easy, natural configuration) so he draped his arms around her and rested his chin on top her of head. It was a tender, intimate embrace that was better than any verbal “welcome home” she could ever give him. She didn't seem to mind at all that he was still damp from his journey and had not yet bathed (he had been planning to bathe with her if she was in the mood, after all). After a short while, she reached up and drew his face down to hers for a long, passionate kiss.

Their intimacy was interrupted by a knock at the door. The mansion steward stepped in after a precise amount of time and bowed to his lord and lady. “Milord Sergei, Lady Alisha, you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?” Alisha looked mystified, and Sergei quashed an instant sense of disgust at their privacy being intruded upon by a visitor. Did visitors have no decency and allow a man time with his wife after a long time away from home?

“It is the Shepherd Rose, milady. Shall I ask her to come back at a later time?”

“No, no!” Alisha almost jumped out of his arms in her eagerness. “Please, tell her that we will be with her in about ten or fifteen minutes. I need to clean up and change into something presentable, and you, my heart, should change into something _dry_.”

 

* * *

 

Dressed in a simple but elegant dress befitting the lady of the manse, Alisha hastily piled all her hair on top of her head and secured it with a large clasp. Her hair was a mess because she'd not properly washed it today, and she wasn't in the mood for it. She was still in a very poor mood and had been feeling absolutely wretched for over a month. Between the frequent nausea, feeling bloated and disgusting, and all the psychological browbeating she'd been doing to herself for weeks since learning she was pregnant, she had been in a terrible funk for far too long, and she was only just now starting to pull out of it.

As she stepped out and headed toward the room where her guest was being entertained by the steward, she spied her beloved husband stepping out of his dressing room. He had changed into a simple lounging robe with trousers and slippers, all in a deep, vibrant red that looked so good on him. Her heart skipped a little at the sight of him like that. She had never expected to fall so deeply in love with someone.

“Come, my dear,” he said calmly, holding his arm out to her in a gesture of chivalry, “let us greet our illustrious guest. Her timing could hardly be better. I think you need to talk to her.”

“I know I do,” she replied, a little more tartly than she meant, and he just smiled at her as she tucked her hand into his arm and allowed him to lead her through their house.

As they entered the room, the steward flashed them a grateful smile and excused himself.

“Welcome to our humble abode, Shepherd Rose,” Sergei said grandly, giving their friend a big smile. “What brings you here in such foul weather?”

As Rose stood up to greet them, grinning herself at seeing them, there was a brief flash of light around her and then four more humanoid (actually seraphic) shapes appeared around her. Her seraph partners had emerged to greet the resident lord and lady as well. (Unfortunately, Sergei couldn't see it, she knew.)

Alisha stepped away from her husband to accept hugs from Rose and three of the four seraphim (the smallest one, Edna, was not a hugging person and so she declined, instead offering her own respectful greetings in her own manner).

Once greeting hugs had been exchanged around, the three humans sat down in chairs or on the couch, all facing each other, and began the early rounds of smalltalk. It seemed that Rose was well, chasing after reports of small outbreaks of malevolence or hellions and quelling them all as they came up. Sergei reported that all was reasonably well in Rolance, as far as he could tell from his month in their embassy, and Alisha spoke of the smaller things she was doing now that she was managing the Diphda estate instead of touring as the prime ambassador of Hyland. Being forced to resign her post in order to marry still was a bitter taste in her mouth, though at least now she could manage her family estate.

Then, after the early pleasantries had been exchanged, Sergei got right down to brass tacks; “Shepherd Rose, might I ask, is there any risk of a Lord of Calamity coming back? Is the Age of Chaos truly over?”

“Of course there's no risk of him coming back!” Rose said quickly. “What a silly question!”

However, Alisha heard one of the seraphim say; “Actually, Rose, you shouldn't lie to them.”

Rose ignored them and steamed on ahead; “Why would you ask such a silly question? Sorey executed the Lord of Calamity and put him to rest. It's over.”

Alisha frowned; “I heard your seraph, Rose. Please, Zaveid, explain to me what you mean?” She looked at the shirtless male seraph, who grinned in thanks.

“The Lord of Calamity himself is gone, yes, but all Sorey managed to do was stop _him_. The cycle hasn't yet been broken, though when Sorey's task with Maotelus is done, that _should_ break the cycle once and for all. However, until Sorey finishes his task with Maotelus, there is a risk of another Lord of Calamity.” Then he tipped his head at her. “On the other hand, Princess Alisha, you're not a squire anymore. The handling of calamity, chaos, hellions, malevolence and supernatural forces is the realm of the Shepherd. And you've got a fine Shepherd right here. Rose can handle everything, you'll see. She's got us seraphim, for one thing.” He winked at her. “You've got nothing to worry about. We'll take care of any calamity that pops up.”

“May I ask why you are so worried, Alisha? It's obvious you are.” Lailah, the fire seraph, asked kindly.

Alisha sighed, looking at the pillow she clutched in her hands. “I'm afraid to bring a child into the world, knowing the world is broken and may be torn apart by chaos and war. This peace is so fragile and fleeting.”

“A child?” Rose perked up instantly. “A _baby_? Alisha, are you pregnant?”

“I... I am, yes.”

“Eee!” Rose squealed and launched herself out of her chair to tackle Alisha in a hug. “I'm so happy for you! This is the best news ever!”

Sergei, as expected, looked confused, since he had no resonance and couldn't see or hear the seraphim, so he hadn't heard Zaveid's statement or Lailah's question. But he understood and accepted that there were things about his wife he would never truly grasp because of the lack of resonance. So after a few seconds of determining the two women in the room had an understanding, he shrugged off his lack of comprehension. He simply poured himself a cup of tea from the kettle brought in by the steward and sat back, listening and trying to make sense of what was being said.

“When are you due? When do I get to see your baby?”

“Do you know the star festival we celebrate here in Ladylake at the end of autumn, just before the winter solstice?” At Rose's nod, she continued, “My physician estimates I will deliver the week before then. With luck, I will still be able to attend the festival, that I will have recovered from childbirth by then.”

There was an uncomfortable wet splurting sound from Sergei, followed by hasty coughing to clear his lungs. He had spit out his tea in his startlement. “Darling, that is not even seven months away! Are you certain about this?”

She felt a little guilty that she hadn't told him just _when_ she found out about being pregnant, or how far along she was, but to be fair, their privacy had been interrupted by Rose's arrival. Sergei had not yet had time to ask her when she was due to give birth.

“I trust the physician, Sergei. If he says that is when I am due, I suspect he is right.”

He looked stunned and then his expression flattened out; “Very well. I suppose you are correct. It is his job, after all.” She was certain he was going to be questioning her a great deal about this once they were alone.

“Well!” Rose clapped her hands together sharply, to draw attention to herself. “Barring any outbreak of malevolence that I have to deal with, I shall make sure to be here for that festival. I hope you'll let me come visit you after the baby is born.” Then she broke into a huge grin. “And to put your fears to rest, Alisha, I won't _allow_ there to be another Lord of Calamity. I've got the best seraphim with me, we've beaten one Lord of Calamity into submission; if another one tries to rise up, we'll beat _him_ into submission too. You've got nothing to worry about. Have your baby and raise it with confidence that we're putting the world back to rights.”

“Thank you, Rose.” Alisha tried to hold the tears in (she was stupidly over emotional now... she only hoped it was the hormones from being pregnant) but gave up and let them out when Rose hugged her again, comfortingly. “You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that.”

 

* * *

 

After they had said goodbye to Rose and her seraphim, the lord and lady of the manor quietly retired to their bedchamber. The steward, giving them an understanding smile, promised to turn away any other visitors, to give them some privacy.

Sergei wasted no time. The moment he had her alone in their bedchamber, he crossed his arms and frowned at her; “So how long have you known about your pregnancy, Alisha? I assumed you just found out.”

“I found out a few days after you left.” She had been very sick with nausea when Sergei left last month to go to Pendrago to fulfill his ambassador duties for the half-year. He had delayed his departure for a full day and a half out of concern for her, waiting until their physician could make a house call. Then he had had to depart to go tend to his duties. It had been a scant two days after Sergei left that the doctor announced his diagnosis for Alisha's ailment. “I've been waiting all month to tell you.”

“That means you were almost two months along by that point. Did you...” His eyes narrowed. “Darling, did you _suspect_ this, or were you as surprised as I am?”

“I was shocked, Sergei. The thought of having become pregnant never crossed my mind until he told me that was what was causing my misery. I thought I was genuinely sick.” She glared briefly at him, but he didn't flinch. “You know my, er, cycle is very irregular.”

He relented a little bit; “So you've had this on your mind this whole time? I guess it wasn't all that much of a release to find out the real reason for your nausea, given how you're saying this.”

“I still feel sick and gross,” she said tartly. “Knowing _why_ I feel this way doesn't help me feel better. I have been throwing up almost daily. I have no energy, I'm tired all the time, I feel like I'm getting fat, and I have been practically subsisting on ginger for over a month now. I never liked ginger tea or ginger nuts, but I've had to drink or eat copious amounts of both, just to keep some nutrition and hydration in me.” She sighed as she forced herself to unclench her fingers from the bed pillow in her hands. “Also, I was disappointed you weren't able to be there when I found out. This sort of thing should have been told to both of us at the same time. But I know full well why you couldn't be there. We are paying the price for our marriage.”

She regretted that almost instantly when his expression turned to one of horror; “I am so sorry, Alisha, I did not mean to abandon you when you were ill but you know that I had to...”

“I _know_ that, Sergei. We've been over this. Rolance would only allow you to marry me if you maintained your ambassador duties in this manner. We have discussed this _ad nauseum_!”

Immediately after the downfall of the Age of Chaos, after Alisha completed a brief stint as Rose's squire, she had taken up work as an ambassador of Hyland to Rolance. Sergei was made an ambassador of Rolance to Hyland at the same time, and they ended up often working together. That was in large part how romance flared to life between them. When they decided to marry, however, diplomatic incidents began to arise. Hyland was determined to get the most out of using its minor princess as a bargaining chip, and Rolance wasn't keen on losing a popular ambassador. But as a princess (even if only of a branch family of royalty) Alisha couldn't move to Rolance in order to marry Sergei, because that would cause an outcry among the Hyland people who treasured their soldier-princess. And also because Sergei had nothing to offer his royal bride in the way of a living, whereas Alisha was the heiress of the modest Diphda estate. (It wasn't much, compared to her royal cousins, but it was vastly superior to the low-born soldier life that Sergei had risen from).

In the end, after exhaustive bartering and compromise, it was ruled that Alisha would resign her post as ambassador and would retire to the Diphda estate. Sergei would be allowed to marry her, but only if he came once every six months to Pendrago to file paperwork and do domestic ambassador work. The trip to Pendrago that he had returned from just hours ago today was the third such since their wedding a little over a year ago. (His superiors had actually forced him to leave his newlywed bride at home immediately after the honeymoon period, to come to Pendrago and do his work.)

This was just a fact of their lives. They would have to do this for a while until Rolance and Hyland loosened the yokes. But this also meant that, given the timing of his usual summons to Pendrago, he would be gone right about the time she was to give birth. This had to be what had him so alarmed now, working out the timeline of her pregnancy and when their baby would be born.

“I will write to the embassy in Pendrago and tell them of this, er, development. I will request a delay of my deployment back to Pendrago.”

There was a brief silence between them as she looked into his intense eyes. For all that Sergei was a tough, stoic man with no-nonsense mannerisms, he had extremely expressive eyes, and right now they veritably burned with intensity. He was also a very sharp man, with incredible intuition. There were times she almost wondered if he could read her mind.

“If they refuse my reasonable request to delay my deployment back to Pendrago by, say, a month, so that I may care for my wife during her confinement and be present when our child is born...” He paused for dramatic effect. “I do fear that I may come down with a strange and utterly mysterious ailment that will require me to be quarantined at home, unable to cross country border lines, and cannot be cured until I hold in my arms my newborn son or daughter.”

She pulled him in for a quick kiss; “I would like that, I think. Also, I swear you can read my mind sometimes, Sergei, and I find that troubling.” (How else to describe this feeling she had, when he practically answered her most troubled thoughts.)

“Only when your worries are written so plainly on your face, my darling. Otherwise, I have no idea what goes on behind those lovely eyes of yours.”

She punched him very gently and grinned; “Serves you right. You're a man. My womanly thoughts should remain private from your influence! Now, take off that robe and come give your wife the attention she expects of you!”


End file.
